IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY INDICATORS USING NCDR® REGISTRIES: FIRST INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

BackgroundQuality indicator collection and feedback improves stroke care. We sought to determine whether quality improvement training plus indicator feedback was more effective than indicator feedback alone in improving inpatient stroke...

Objective: Identification, selection and validation of key interventions and quality indicators for improvement of in hospital quality of care for ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients.Methods and Results: A structured literature review was followed by a RAND Delphi Survey. A purposively selected multidisciplinary expert panel of cardiologists, nurse managers and quality managers selected and validated key interventions and quality indicators prior for quality improvement for STEMI. First, 34 experts (76% response rate) individually assessed the appropriateness of items to quality improvement on a nine point Likert scale. Twenty-seven key interventions, 16 quality indicators at patient level and 27 quality indicators at STEMI care programme level were selected. Eighteen additional items were suggested. Experts received personal feedback, benchmarking their score with group results (response rate, mean, median and content validity index). Consequently, 32 experts (71% response rate) openly discussed items with an item-content validity index above 75%. By consensus, the expert panel validated a final set of 25 key interventions, 13 quality indicators at patient level and 20 quality indicators at care programme level prior for improvement of in hospital care for STEMI.Conclusions: A structured literature review and multidisciplinary expertise was combined to validate a set of key interventions and quality indicators prior for improvement of care for STEMI. The results allow researchers and hospital staff to evaluate and support quality improvement interventions in a large cohort within the context of a health care system.

Incorporating Quality Improvement Projects Into Stroke Care and Research.

PQA measures to expand beyond dispensing and claims data

Amaranth grains can be thermally processed by several methods, such as oven puffing, gun puffing, extrusion puffing, oil puffing, and pan popping, but their small size, puffing characteristics, and low volume expansion ratio limit the effectiveness of these conventional techniques. In this study, Amaranth grains are puffed using a specially designed Special Purpose Machine (SPM) with a heating plate, developed to overcome these limitations and to enable controlled, continuous processing. The key process variables considered are the heating plate temperature, plate angle, nozzle hole size, and plate material, which strongly influence the popping yield (PY), volume expansion ratio (VER), and sensory score (SS) of the grains. These quality indicators are evaluated to understand the influence of process parameters and to establish a basis for systematic optimization. The primary objective of this work is to identify and optimize the most influential process parameters governing the puffing quality of Amaranth grains. The Taguchi design of experiments framework is employed to study the effect of multiple process variables on the grain quality, using an L16 orthogonal array to minimize the number of experiments while capturing the main effects. Significant factors are identified through signal‐to‐noise ratio analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA), carried out using Minitab 17 software. Gray Relational Analysis (GRA) is used to perform multiobjective optimization by combining PY, VER, and SS into a single performance index. Experimental analysis and optimization indicate that the design of the process parameters can be significantly improved by jointly considering PY, VER, and SS. An L16 orthogonal array is implemented, and the initial parameter combination P4Q2R3S2 yields a gray relational grade (GRG) of 0.778. By adopting the optimized combination P3Q4R3S2, the GRG increases to 0.790, corresponding to a 1.89% improvement in overall performance. These results confirm that the design factors have been effectively optimized using Gray Relational Analysis, leading to improved machine settings for the Lahi machine and enhanced puffing quality of Amaranth grains. This work applies Gray Relational Analysis in conjunction with the Taguchi method for the multiobjective optimization of Amaranth grain puffing, demonstrating a quantifiable 1.89% improvement in quality indicators while using a specially designed SPM‐based heating system.

Quality of care is the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge (1). The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) have continually promoted the ideal that all patients have access to high-quality GI endoscopy services. A high-quality endoscopy is an examination in which patients receive an indicated procedure, correct and relevant diagnoses are recognized or excluded, any therapy provided is appropriate, and all steps that minimize risk have been taken.

Propofol Vs. Meperidine/Midazolam Sedation for Screening Colonoscopy: Improved Quality Indicators

PurposeGiven the complexity and difficulties of the health sector, the question that this study attempts to answer is as follows: what are the main results of studies on business process management (BPM) and lean in the health sector? The purpose of this paper is to analyze the results of studies that address the promotion of BPM and lean in the health sector.Design/methodology/approachTo conduct a survey of published studies using the BPM and lean approach in healthcare, a search was performed in the Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases in two steps. The first step consisted of the collection and analysis of data related to the BPM approach in the health sector, based on a survey of published articles on this topic. The second step consisted of the collection and analysis of data related to the use of lean in the same sector, based on the survey of systematic reviews published in major databases.FindingsThe main results of the studies that address the promotion of BPM and lean in the health sector are as follows: a reduced length of hospitalization, increased patient satisfaction, increased patient efficiency and safety, a reduction in the time of notification of infection, help with organizational change, understanding the end-to-end process, increased motivation, understanding the importance of some handoffs for patient safety, improvements in quality indicators in the emergency department, and improvements in the organization’s focus on high-level processes. By contrast, a single study showed difficulties in promoting management focused on processes in which decisions are unique and difficult to model.Originality/valueThe results may help in the identification of research gaps in the promotion of BPM and lean healthcare and in the development of relevant research. In addition, by understanding how health organizations are promoting management focused on processes and the results obtained with this approach, managers from other organizations, especially in this sector, can reflect and develop similar actions that seek to improve the quality of services offered, increase productivity and customer satisfaction, and reduce costs, errors, and waiting times.

Aim. To develop a new, competitive heterotic watermelon hybrid by utilizing breeding-valuable parental lines capable of delivering consistently high yields, with improved fruit quality, and adaptability to current agroclimatic conditions in Ukraine. Results and Discussion. The experiments were conducted at the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of NAAS in 2021–2025. Hybridization combined with individual and mass selections served as the primary breeding methods. The research subjects included new lines and F1 hybrid combinations. The Ukrainian watermelon hybrid ‘Kazka F1’ was used as a check hybrid. Based on the results of breeding using new fertile parental lines identified by genes controlling the expression of marker morphological traits, a new hybrid, ‘Borys F1’, was developed. The maternal component is the monoecious line ‘Sich’; its novel characteristics include high monoeciousness (80%) and a low node position for the first female flower (nodes 3–5), combined with high disease resistance (7–9 points) and a set of economically valuable traits. Its combining ability ranges from 1.4 to 2.5. The paternal component is the line ‘Skarbnytsia0; its novel characteristics are monoeciousness and high disease resistance (9 points) alongside a set of economically valuable traits; its combining ability ranges from 2.5 to 4.7. Their hybridization resulted in the early-ripening, high-yielding hybrid ‘Borys F1’, which outyields analogues by 21–40% and demonstrates a 3- to 5% improvement in quality indicators. The hybrid exhibits high disease resistance. In 2025, the hybrid was submitted for state qualifying evaluation; following its completion, it is recommended for growing in the forest-steppe and steppe zones of Ukraine. Conclusions. The watermelon hybrid ‘Borys F1’ was developed through the implementation of new lines with specific morphological markers. The hybrid demonstrates a significant advantage over the check hybrid, ‘Kazka F1’, in terms of both yield and profitability. Specifically, the profitability of the new hybrid exceeds that of the check hybrid by 62.9%, with an additional economic return of 88,100 UAH/ha.

Exploring the use of nuclear alterations, motility and ecological guilds in epipelic diatoms as biomonitoring tools for water quality improvement in urban impacted lowland streams

Guideline organizations' guidance documents paper 11: quality assurance and improvement in guideline development.

Quality improvement in primary care has been an important issue worldwide for decades. Quality indicators are increasingly used quantitative tools for quality measurement. One of the possible motivational methods for doctors to provide better medical care is the implementation of financial incentives, however, there is no sufficient evidence to support or contradict their effect in quality improvement. Quality indicators and financial incentives are used in the primary care in more and more European countries. The authors provide a brief update on the primary care quality indicator systems of the United Kingdom, Hungary and other European countries, where financial incentives and quality indicators were introduced. There are eight countries where quality indicators linked to financial incentives are used which can influence the finances/salary of family physicians with a bonus of 1-25%. Reliable data are essential for quality indicators, although such data are lacking in primary care of most countries. Further, improvement of indicator systems should be based on broad professional consensus.

Post-endoscopy Esophageal Neoplasia in Barrett’s Esophagus: Consensus Statements From an International Expert Panel

Setting Thresholds for Quality Indicators Derived from MDS Data for Nursing Home Quality Improvement Reports: An Update

Quality Improvement and Trauma Quality Indicators